Rep. Michael McCaul, chair of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, says he was briefly detained at Washington Dulles International Airport last week because of a "poor decision." Police say the Texas Republican was charged with being drunk in public at around 9pm on Nov. 4, the day before Election Day, NBC News reports. A spokesperson says McCaul is a nervous flyer and took Ambien to help him sleep on a flight to Texas, which he inadvertently missed. He became disoriented from the mix of the sedative and several alcoholic drinks he had consumed, leading police to believe he was drunk, the spokesperson says.
"I made a mistake—one for which I take full responsibility," McCaul said in a statement to Semafor. "I missed a flight to Texas and found myself disoriented in the airport. This was the result of a poor decision I made to mix an Ambien which I took in order to sleep on the upcoming flight—with some alcohol. Law enforcement officers briefly detained me while I waited for a family member to pick me up." He said he has "nothing but respect and gratitude for the officers who intercepted me that evening."
The charge is a Class 4 misdemeanor and carries a fine of up to $250 under Virginia law, the Washington Post reports. McCaul won an 11th term in the House last week. The lawmaker, who regularly travels internationally as part of his House leadership role, has been the chair or ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee. House Republicans have six-year term limits for committee chairs, which includes time spent as the ranking member, but McCaul plans to seek a waiver to serve for another two years. (More Michael McCaul stories.)
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